beluga caviar Notes:
In recent years,
over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has greatly depleted sturgeon populations.
Please consider using caviar and roe from
more abundant species until the Caspian Sea sturgeon populations can recover.
Beluga caviar is one of the best and priciest of the caviars. The eggs are large
and bluish-grey, and slightly sweet. A pasteurized version is available in jars, but fresh caviar is much better.
Malossol (lightly salted) beluga is the finest, and the most expensive. If
substituting an inferior caviar, consider perking it up with a splash of
fresh lemon juice. Equivalents: 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce Substitutes: hackleback
caviar (smaller grains, less expensive) OR keluga (a Chinese version of
beluga) OR ossetra caviar (smaller grains, brown instead of gray; stronger,
nuttier flavor) OR sevruga caviar (even smaller grains, even stronger flavor)
OR paddlefish caviar (gray, not black) OR bowfin caviar (similar color)
OR lumpfish roe (not as delicate)

bottarga = boutarque = botarega = botargo
= salted mullet
roe = Sardinian caviar Pronunciation:
boh-TAR-gah Notes:
This Mediterranean specialty is made from the salted and sun-dried roe
of either tuna (bottarga di tonno) or mullet (bottarga di muggine). You usually buy it as a sausage and
shave off thin slices for hors d'oeuvres or
grate it over pasta, fish, or salads. It's expensive but very tasty.
Substitutes: tarama OR smoked cod roe

caviar = sturgeon roe Notes:
Caviar
is known for its subtle, buttery flavor and high price. It should always
be served cold. In recent years,
over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has greatly depleted sturgeon populations.
Please consider using caviar and roe from
more abundant species until the Caspian Sea sturgeon populations can recover.
Malossol, or lightly salted caviar, is considered to be the highest
quality. Caviar that doesn't make the malossol grade is used to make
pressed
caviar = payusnaya. Fresh caviar is considered much better than
the pasteurized version. If
substituting an inferior caviar, consider perking it up with a splash of
fresh lemon juice. Equivalents:
2 tablespoons = 1 ounce Varieties: (from highest
to lowest price) imperial caviar,
beluga
caviar, ossetra caviar, and sevruga
caviar. Substitutes: hackleback roe (This black roe
comes from American sturgeon. It's very delicate yet relatively inexpensive.)
OR paddlefish roe (This gray roe also comes from American sturgeon.
It resembles sevruga caviar but it's a lot cheaper.) OR salmon roe (This
has large orange eggs and a bolder flavor than caviar.) OR lumpfish roe
(This is cheaper, but much saltier and not as delicate) OR bowfin roe (This
black roe is cheaper, but not as delicate as caviar)

imperial caviar = golden oscietre =
golden ossetra = shah's
caviar = royal caviar Notes: In recent years,
over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has greatly depleted sturgeon populations.
Please consider using caviar and roe from
more abundant species until the Caspian Sea sturgeon populations can recover.
This greenish-gold
caviar has very large grains and is very rare and pricey. Substitutes:
ossetra caviar (also comes from Caspian Sea sturgeon) OR paddlefish
caviar (gray, not brown) OR hackleback caviar (black, not brown) OR bowfin
caviar (black, not brown) OR lumpfish roe (not as delicate)

ossetra caviar = oscietre caviar =
ocietra caviar = asetra caviar Notes:
In recent years,
over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has greatly depleted sturgeon populations.
Please consider using caviar and roe from
more abundant species until the Caspian Sea sturgeon populations can recover.
Ossetra caviar is brown and more strongly flavored than beluga caviar.
Don't confuse ordinary ossetra with the rare and expensive golden
ossetra = imperial
caviar. If
substituting an inferior caviar, consider perking it up with a splash of
fresh lemon juice. Substitutes: sevruga caviar (smaller
grains, gray instead of brown, stronger flavor) OR beluga caviar (larger
grains, more expensive, gray instead of brown, more subtle flavor) OR paddlefish
caviar (gray, not brown) OR hackleback caviar (black, not brown) OR bowfin
caviar (black, not brown) OR lumpfish roe (not as delicate)

paddlefish roe = grey pearl caviar
Notes: Paddlefish swim in Southern rivers and they're
relatives of sturgeons--the fish that produce the world's most expensive and
exquisite caviars. Paddlefish roe is very similar to sevruga caviar,
only it's cheaper. Since Caspian Sea sturgeon are rapidly becoming
depleted from over-fishing, many people are turning to paddlefish roe as a
substitute for caviar. Subsitutes: sevruga caviar (very similar, more expensive) OR beluga caviar
(more expensive, larger grains, black instead of gray) OR hackleback roe
(black, not gray) OR bowfin caviar (black, not gray)

sevruga caviar Notes:
In recent years,
over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has greatly depleted sturgeon populations.
Please consider using caviar and roe from
more abundant species until the Caspian Sea sturgeon populations can recover.
Greenish-gray sevruga has the smallest eggs and strongest flavor of all
the caviars. Because of this, it's cheaper than beluga or ossetra, but
still quite good. If substituting an inferior caviar, consider perking
it up with a splash of fresh lemon juice. Substitutes:
paddlefish caviar OR hackleback caviar (black, not gray) OR ossetra caviar (This
has larger grains, brown instead of gray, more subtle flavor. It also comes from
Caspian Sea sturgeon.) ORbeluga
caviar (This is more expense, has still larger grains, and an even more subtle
flavor. It comes from Caspian Sea sturgeon.) OR bowfin caviar (black, not gray) OR lumpfish roe (not as delicate)

shad roe Notes: You can buy
lobes of this roe fresh in
the springtime, or in cans during the rest of the year. Canned shad roe is
good, but not quite as good as fresh. Substitutes: herring roe
OR haddock roe

tarama = taramo Notes: Greek
markets often carry jars of this pink cod roe. It's often used to make
taramasalata, which is tarama mixed with a filler (like bread crumbs),
oil, and seasonings. Substitutes:
bottarga OR smoked cod
roe